P.M. BRIEFING : GM Plans Czech Opel Assembly

General Motors Europe said today it plans to assemble vehicles and produce transmissions at the Bratislavske Automobilove Zavody (BAZ) facilities in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, pending the outcome of talks.

GM Europe said from its Zurich headquarters that initial plans call for the manufacture of up to 250,000 automobile transmissions a year for export to other GM facilities in Europe, as well as the assembly of Opel passenger cars for sale in Czechoslovakia.

Production could begin in late 1992, GM said. The auto maker is also in the process of establishing a distribution organization for selling Opels in the Slovak Republic.

Following recent developments in Eastern Europe, GM has already established a facility for assembly of the Opel Vectra in Eisenach, Germany. Production began in early October.